Orders Due March 21; Workshop Offered April 2 The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is offering free tree seedlings to help improve water quality in targeted Eastern Shore communities. Kent and Queen Anne’s County landowners who have a creek, drainage ditch, stream or other waterway on or near their property are eligible for free tree Read the Rest…
Public Input Accepted Until March 8 The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is seeking public comment on the draft 2019-2023 Land Preservation and Recreation Plan, which identifies essential and contemporary issues impacting outdoor recreation and natural resource protection in the state. The Maryland Land Preservation and Recreation Plan represents a vision and strategy that has Read the Rest…
Backyard Buffers Help Improve Water Quality The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is offering free tree seedlings to landowners who have a creek, drainage ditch, stream or other waterway on or near their property through the Backyard Buffers program. Trees and shrubs planted along waterways help improve water quality by absorbing excess nutrients, lowering peak water temperatures, reducing sediment Read the Rest…
Department Plans to Continue Managed Hunt Next Season The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has announced the results of its deer management efforts and inaugural managed hunting program at North Point State Park in Baltimore County. The two-part program, comprising a limited archery hunt in November 2018 and a two-day shotgun hunt in January 2019, helped Read the Rest…
Support the State’s Water Quality Monitoring Effort The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is offering trainings and certifications in Maryland Biological Stream Survey sampling protocols. Two training opportunities will be held at Howard County Community College, one in February and another in May. Through a mix of classroom and field experiences, participants will learn and be tested Read the Rest…
Season Yields 73 Birds Hunters reported taking 73 wild turkeys during Maryland’s 2019 winter turkey season, which was open Jan. 17-19 statewide. According to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, turkeys were harvested in 22 of the 23 counties, with Frederick, Garrett and Washington counties reporting the highest numbers.
Chance for Young Hunters to Hone Skills Young hunters have one more chance this season to hone their skills with the help of an experienced adult during a Youth Waterfowl Hunt Day Feb. 9, reports the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Youths up to 16 years of age may hunt coots, ducks, geese and mergansers on private and Read the Rest…
Time is Now to Think Spring Orders are still being taken for the spring 2019 planting season for shrubs and trees from the John S. Ayton State Tree Nursery, managed by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Trees benefit the environment as well as enhance natural habitat for birds, squirrels and other wildlife. Almost all trees and shrubs available Read the Rest…
Four Public Comment Meetings Scheduled The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is seeking public comment on the state’s management of white-tailed deer. The input will be used to help revise the state’s deer management plan for the next 15 years, establishing long-term goals, and identifying specific objectives and strategies for achieving them. Through Feb. 28 March 15, the Read the Rest…
David Confair Nets 17.9-Pound Fish A Dorchester County man set a state record for catching a 17.9-pound longnose gar. Secretary resident David Confair, 44, caught the fish Jan. 23 a few miles above the historic Brookview Bridge along Marshyhope Creek. An experienced angler, Confair and a friend went fishing there after hearing reports of massive Read the Rest…
Maryland is home to a relatively small fish that inhabits only streams with the best water quality. It’s a beautifully colored fish called the brook trout, Maryland’s only native trout. He is feisty, guarding his territory during the fall breeding season. Anyone who has caught and handled a brook trout or seen one holding in Read the Rest…
Conservation Easements Protect Farmland and Watersheds The Board of Public Works today approved Rural Legacy Program grants totaling $2.1 million that will provide dedicated state funding to permanently protect working farms and forests, and provide vegetative stream buffers to improve water quality and bolster climate resilience in designated areas across the state. Working through local governments and Read the Rest…
Accepting Comments Until Feb. 22 The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is seeking public comment on the proposed fiscal year 2020 work plans for the following state forests: Chesapeake Forest/Pocomoke, Green Ridge, Potomac-Garrett and Savage River. The comment period concludes Feb. 22. Annual work plans help the department identify priorities within the scope of the forests’ long-range management. They address composition, establishment, growth, health Read the Rest…
Appoints Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio as Secretary of Natural Resources Governor Larry Hogan today announced Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio as the Secretary of Natural Resources. Haddaway-Riccio currently serves as a Deputy Chief of Staff in the governor’s office, where she advises on environmental-related issues. “Jeannie Haddaway-Riccio has been a strong member of my executive team since day one and has Read the Rest…
FY 2020 Budget Includes Record Investment in Bay Restoration For the fifth year in a row, Governor Larry Hogan has proposed major funding for restoring the Chesapeake Bay and protecting the environment and well-being of Marylanders. “Through his funding priorities, Governor Hogan continues to demonstrate unprecedented support for initiatives that protect our lands and waters Read the Rest…
Easement Near Rock Hall Conserves Fields, Forest and Meadows The Maryland Environmental Trust helped Expressway Corp. permanently protect its 119-acre farm along the West Fork of Langford Creek in Kent County. Expressway Corp. donated the conservation easement on the property forever protecting this important farm and forest land on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. In the vicinity Read the Rest…
Information Meeting Set for Jan. 26 The Maryland Department of Natural Resources will hold a second informational open house for Wolf Den Run State Park from 10 a.m. to noon Jan. 26 at Greenbrier State Park, 21843 National Pike, Boonsboro. Maryland Park Service staff will provide a brief presentation about the park slated to open this year, plus answer questions Read the Rest…
Work2Live WELL Seeks Applicants in Baltimore City The Maryland Department of Natural Resources, in partnership with the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, is now accepting applications for its workforce development, skills and training program, Work2Live WELL. Now in its second year, this program provides entry into the emerging fields of the environment and natural resources. With Read the Rest…
Stories of Underground Railroad Heroes Come to Life this February In celebration of Black History Month, Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park and Visitor Center invites everyone to free, family-friendly programs every Friday, Saturday and Sunday in February. The park, located in Dorchester County, is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and houses an Read the Rest…
Events Share Best Practices for Boatyard, Marina Operators The Maryland Department of Natural Resources invites marine facility managers to a series of free seminars in February. Staff will introduce the Maryland Clean Marina Initiative to participants, review commonly needed marina permits and provide resources for all operators and owners to improve their boatyards, docks and Read the Rest…
Second Chance for Hunters to Take a Hen or Gobbler The Maryland Department of Natural Resources offers hunters who did not bag a turkey in the fall another chance, as the winter turkey season runs statewide Jan. 17-19. The department established the winter season in 2015 to increase opportunities while minimizing conflicts with other hunting seasons.
2019 Contest Runs Through Aug. 31 The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is now accepting entries for its annual photo contest. Photographers, novice or professional, can enter for the chance to win cash and other great prizes. Winning entries will be posted online, featured in an issue of the seasonal Maryland Natural Resource magazine, and placed in the 2020 wall Read the Rest…
Participation Triples Thanks to Warm Weather The Maryland Department of Natural Resources welcomed approximately 3,700 hikers on 36 hikes at 32 state parks this New Year’s Day as part of the annual First Day Hikes initiative. Hikers trekked about 8,500 miles on trails in every corner of Maryland. Maryland Park Service rangers, staff and volunteers Read the Rest…
In 1994, a group of Project FeederWatchers in Washington, D.C. noticed house finches showing up to their feeders with red, swollen, crusty eyes. The ailments were soon found to be linked to house finch eye disease, or mycoplasmal conjunctivitis. Conjunctivitis is caused by a bacteria, and different species of bacteria affect different organisms. The bacterium Read the Rest…
Multiple species of finches make their home in Maryland. Some are year-round residents while others, like the evening grosbeak, are part-time visitors. Evening grosbeaks are chunky finches. Males have striking yellow and black plumage with prominent white and black wings. Females are mostly gray and also possess white and black wings. Both sexes have thick, Read the Rest…
Here at Wild Acres, we like to promote using native plants in backyards to attract local wildlife species. Over the years, Doug Tallamy’s research has shown a clear relationship between native plants and birds, linking the importance of native plants for supporting insects like caterpillars. Tallamy’s research has revealed that native oaks can support more Read the Rest…
Silky dogwood (Cornus amomum) is a medium-sized, native in the dogwood family (Cornaceae), and its blue berries are savored by many songbirds. More than 45 types of songbirds and game birds have been documented consuming the fatty berries in the fall.
Cheers to a Half-Century of Conservation Management and Stewardship Happy New Year! We welcome 2019 as a milestone in our mission as the Maryland Department of Natural Resources will celebrate its semicentennial anniversary July 1. Under the leadership of then-Gov. Marvin Mandel, the department was formed in 1969 as a merger of five existing state Read the Rest…
